Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Automotive Mechanics
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Community College of Philadelphia, Rosedale Technical Institute, Montgomery County Community College-Central Campus, and Delaware County Community College.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Community College of Philadelphia and Montgomery County Community College-Central Campus.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Community College of Philadelphia, Community College of Allegheny County, Harrisburg Area Community College, and Luzerne County Community College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Pennsylvania College of Technology and Rosedale Technical Institute.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Commonwealth, Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, Pennsylvania College of Technology, and Johnson College.
Excellence
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Johnson College and Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Commonwealth, Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, Johnson College, and Pennsylvania College of Technology.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Berks Career And Technology Center • Oley, PA
Studying Automotive Technology (completion in 2011)
• 10/10/2011
"It was a great school. I am very proud to say I went there."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | It is a great place for someone to learn a good skill. You can be very successful in the automotive field with an education from this school. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | Our school is one of the best schools in the nation. |
| Program Quality | 9 | Very good school and good teaching. I learned so much at my school. |
| Instruction | 9 | My teacher works as a mechanic. He knows about the little things that you might run into and can teach you how to get around them. |
| How Difficult | 6 | There was a lot of work involved and hard paperwork. But I learned so much in my studies. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It is a good mix of hands on vs. book learning - an even 50/50. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | Our school does not have very many online or summer program. Nevertheless, it is a very good course of study. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | Our teachers are very accessible and there is ample classroom space. |
| Social Life | 8 | Everyone at my school got along. We had a good time and got our work done without trouble. |
| Placement Services | 7 | My teacher got me a job at a great dealership. Very good career services and opportunities for all students. |
| Alumni Network | 9 | My school had many accreditations and good ties to local dealerships and companies. |
Pennsylvania College Of Technology • Williamsport, PA
Studying Automotive Management (completion in 2012)
• 10/15/2011
"I'm very happy with my decision to come here as it is an excellent fit, a great school, and it's close to home."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Yes, as I only know of one other school that has a better program, but I chose not to go there because PCT is in a better location. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | We are one of only 4 schools in the country to offer a bachelors degree in automotive technology. |
| Program Quality | 9 | Very well set up. New equipment and knowledgeable staff. |
| Instruction | 9 | The last 2 years of the 4 year bachelors program are especially well put together. |
| How Difficult | 8 | I would say the automotive program is above average in difficulty as far as the workload goes. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It is a technical trade school, so almost all of the majors are a hands on experience. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | I would say it's flexible because they offer a summer mini semester for courses as well as online distance learning options. I would say this is above average. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | New library and automotive training buildings, as well as numerous other resources, make learning much easier. |
| Social Life | 6 | Because it is a "dry campus," most student social activities are off campus. There are indeed school soccer teams and other social gatherings and school sponsored events are always happening on campus. |
| Placement Services | 8 | The school works to find students internships and full time jobs, both during and after school. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | We do have a good support system and I would guess that it is on par with other similar schools. |
Westmoreland County Community College • Monroeville, PA
Studying Automotive Engineering Technology (completion in 2001)
• 10/27/2011
"I loved it. It was a positive, relaxed learning environment. The faculty was there when needed and some of the offices were open until 7pm."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | I would recommend a technical school or 4 year university for someone who really wanted to learn the trade and make a career for themselves. I only went to a community college, but I had a big jump start with my prior knowledge. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | The school was not prestigious and was not known statewide for its program, but most people go there because it is close to home and this program is offered. |
| Program Quality | 7 | The quality of the education was pretty good. It allowed me to obtain the Masters Certification that I hold today. Most of what I know I learned hands on. |
| Instruction | 9 | The instruction was good. Some instructors threw you a book and wanted you to teach yourself while others actually taught. |
| How Difficult | 6 | Some of it was challenging but I would say it was more fun than difficult. I had some trouble with electrical systems and automatic transmissions. Everything else was ok. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Hands on work was pretty fun, but I learned more in the classroom. Sometimes it was tough to apply book knowledge to an actual car. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | You were not penalized for missing class if it was for a good reason. Also, the school offered morning and evening classes. The school was pretty quiet during the day. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | They had an awesome shop facility with state of the art technology and none of the old stuff. Most of it was well maintained and kept clean. That's pretty much the only resource we had besides the library. |
| Social Life | 7 | I don't remember any organized social events and I stayed away from parties. I think they had a wrestling team and that was it. Most of the students were pretty nice and the school did not have very much violence on campus. |
| Placement Services | 9 | I had a job at Goodyear before I finished my program of study. The Career Services department contacted me a few times and kept asking me how my job search was going. I already had a job - they tried though. I would say they were pretty good. |
| Alumni Network | I did not participate in any alumni groups of activities, so I really would not know. |
ITT Technical Institute • Pittsburgh, PA
Studying Automotive Technician (completion in 2010)
• 2/4/2012
"This is the best school for my line of work. They teach everything you need to know. I didn't even have to wait to get a job. This is a very good school and I was very satisfied."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | When learning automotive work, it is best to work with cars to learn. That is how this school teaches you. You don't have to imagine what to do, because you are doing it. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | They provide the best training you can get for the job. It won't get better than they teach you. |
| Program Quality | 9 | They prepared me very well for the job. Teaching was hands on, so it was easy for me to learn. |
| Instruction | 10 | At my school, the teachers showed you how to do things. The things we did in class are what I'm doing in my job. |
| How Difficult | 4 | It was easy for me, because I have been doing this kind of thing all of my life. It might not be as easy for people just learning how to work on cars. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The program I went through is about as hands on as it gets. Almost everything we learned was from the hands-on learning we got. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | The class schedule flexibility was pretty good. I had weekends off and if you want, you can take classes online. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | They have everything you need to learn how to do the job. The facilities are just like the work environment. |
| Social Life | 10 | I met so many new friends who had the same interests that I have. It was one of the best times in my life. I even work with one of my classmates. |
| Placement Services | 10 | I got hired right out of school. I never had to wait for job openings, because everyone knows that ITT Tech has the best training around. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | They have their own website. I met a bunch of new friends in the school. |
Pennco Tech • Bristol, PA
Studying Automotive Technology (completion in 1992)
• 2/20/2012
"The teachers were all very knowledgeable and I learned a lot. Most were ASE-certified Master Mechanics."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would recommend the school because the teachers really know what they are doing, and take the time to help individuals having a problem. They also offer state and emissions certification. |
| Program Reputation | I really can't say as it's been 20 years since I have been there. It's still standing, so that says something. | |
| Program Quality | 9 | It is one of a couple schools in my area. Most say that my school is better. |
| Instruction | 8 | Most of the teachers were very knowledgeable. There were one or two who were filling in and I didn't feel that they were suited for the job. |
| How Difficult | 6 | To me it seemed to come naturally. It may have been more difficult for others. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The first part of a class was book learning. Then the last part was hands on. We had five weeks of each. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | I felt they were very flexible. They offered part-time and night classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | At the time they had all the equipment that would be found in a repair shop. The teachers were always available to help. |
| Social Life | 10 | I had a very pleasant experience at my school. I made a lot of friends and we usually hung out during breaks and lunch. Different classes had different cliques. |
| Placement Services | I had to find my own job after school. Cannot speak for others. | |
| Alumni Network | I was not aware of any alumni network at my school. |
Lincoln Technical Institute • Center City, PA
Studying Automotive Mechanics (completion in 2010)
• 2/22/2012
"I would recommend this school to anyone looking for a career in mechanics. I believe it is one of the best schools around."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would say to anyone wanting a career as a mechanic that this school is for you. This is a top notch school, and the hands on work you do here is very rewarding. You will not be disappointed. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | The school specializes in auto mechanics. They have some of the best teachers out there. |
| Program Quality | 10 | This school specializes in this field. The teachers who are training you are the best at what they do. |
| Instruction | 10 | This was top notch. Everything that was done on a car, from air conditioning to general tune ups, had to be right. I learned a lot because of the instructors. The school has prepared me for the real world and everything I learned will have a great impact on me for life. |
| How Difficult | 7 | It was pretty demanding, but working on vehicles was pretty easy because I have worked around cars most of my life. The book work (math, english, and a few other classes) is where I struggled the most. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | There was a lot of hands on work, from learning how to diagnose a problem to changing oil. I also had my share of book work to do, but I would have to say I was in the shop most of the time. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 6 | It was okay. I did my schooling during the day and this was great for me. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | There was everything I needed to succeed in the field I had chosen. |
| Social Life | 5 | I went to school to be a mechanic - I was not there for the after school activities. I do feel there was a lot of school spirit. I really enjoyed getting up and going to my classes every day. The other people around seemed to be enjoying their experiences. |
| Placement Services | 9 | Once you complete your schooling, you will have all the help needed to get a job. I had a job as soon as I graduated thanks to Lincoln Technical Institute. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I feel it was okay. I really didn't deal much with that part of school. I did what I needed and once I was done, I was out working. |
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